Search Result Enhancement Through Image Duplicate Detection

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer media for enhancing user search query results are provided. Upon receiving a user search query, relevant images are identified. Duplicate image information for the relevant images is accessed in an index. The index includes information extracted from individual images or duplicates and information aggregated according to groups comprised of images and duplicates of the images. The images identified as relevant to the user query are ranked based at least in part on the information accessed in the index.

1 . One or more computer storage media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method for enhancing search results, the method comprising:
 receiving a user search query;   identifying one or more images relevant to the search query, each image located on a web page or domain;   accessing an index listing a plurality of images, each image located on a web page or domain, the index including:
 for one or more images listed in the index, an indication that one or more duplicates of the images are also listed in the index, 
 information extracted from each of the one or more images having duplicates also listed in the index and information extracted from the duplicates, and 
 for each image having duplicates also listed in the index, aggregated information based on the total number of duplicates and based on information extracted from the image and extracted from each duplicate of the image, 
 wherein duplicates of an image include both copies of the image and near duplicates of the image, near duplicates being substantially similar to the image but altered in some way; 
   ranking the identified images in order of relevance to the received user search query based at least in part on the aggregated information; and   providing a search result incorporating the ranked images.   
     
     
         2 . The media of  claim 1 , wherein the ranking is based at least in part on the extracted information. 
     
     
         3 . The media of  claim 1 , wherein the extracted information includes one or more of: an image format; an image size; an image quality; an indication the image has been edited; the web page or domain on which the image is located; and one or more keywords associated with the web page or domain on which the image is located. 
     
     
         4 . The media of  claim 1 , wherein the aggregated information includes one or more of: the number of duplicates detected; the number of duplicates in a particular format, size, or quality; the number of duplicates that have been edited; and common keywords associated with the web pages or domains on which the image or duplicate is located. 
     
     
         5 . The media of  claim 4 , wherein the aggregated information includes the number of duplicate images detected, and wherein having a large number of duplicates weighs in favor of a high relevance ranking for a given image. 
     
     
         6 . The media of  claim 4 , wherein the aggregated information includes common keywords associated with the web pages on which the image or duplicate image are located, and wherein having associated keywords determined to be more relevant to the user search query weighs in favor of a high relevance ranking for a given image. 
     
     
         7 . The media of  claim 4 , wherein the aggregated information includes the number of duplicate images in a particular format, size, or quality, and wherein having a large number of duplicates of a high quality, large size, or desirable format weighs in favor of a high relevance ranking for a given image. 
     
     
         8 . The media of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more images identified as relevant to the search query are identified and ranked according to text features of the web pages or domains where the images are located or metadata of the images prior to accessing the duplicate image index, and wherein ranking the identified images based at least in part on the aggregated information is a re-ranking of identified images. 
     
     
         9 . The media of  claim 1 , wherein the indication that one or more duplicates of the images are also listed in the index is based on a determination that an image is a duplicate of another image, the determination made using a content-based image search. 
     
     
         10 . One or more computer storage media having a system embodied thereon including computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform a method for enhancing search results, the system comprising:
 an intake component that receives a user search query;   a search component that identifies images relevant to the user query;   an index listing a plurality of images, each image located on a web page or domain, the index including:
 for one or more images listed in the index, an indication that one or more duplicates of the images are also listed in the index, 
 information extracted from each of the one or more images having duplicates also listed in the index and information extracted from the duplicates, and 
 for each image having duplicates also listed in the index, aggregated information based on the total number of duplicates and based on information extracted from the image and extracted from each duplicate of the image, 
 wherein duplicates of an image include both copies of the image and near duplicates of the image, near duplicates being substantially similar to the image but altered in some way; 
   a duplicate processing component that:
 detects image duplicates, 
 extracts information from images and duplicates, 
 aggregates extracted information and the number of duplicates detected for particular images, and 
 stores the extracted information and the aggregated information in the index; and 
   a ranking component that ranks identified images in order of relevance to the received user search query.   
     
     
         11 . The media of  claim 10 , further comprising a re-ranking component that re-orders ranked images based on at least one of the extracted information or the aggregated information, the ranked images ranked according to text features of the web pages or domains where the images are located or according to metadata of the images. 
     
     
         12 . The media of  claim 10 , wherein the extracted information includes an image format; an image size; an image quality; an indication the image has been edited;
 the web page or domain on which the image is located; and one or more keywords associated with the web page or domain on which the image is located.   
     
     
         13 . The media of  claim 10 , wherein the aggregated information includes one or more of: the number of duplicate images detected; the number of duplicate images in a particular format, size, or quality; the number of duplicate images that have been edited; and common keywords associated with the web pages on which the image or duplicate images are located. 
     
     
         14 . The media of  claim 10 , wherein the ranking component ranks identified images based at least in part on the aggregated information. 
     
     
         15 . The media of  claim 14 , wherein the aggregated information includes the number of duplicate images detected, and wherein having a large number of duplicates weighs in favor of a high relevance ranking for a given image. 
     
     
         16 . The media of  claim 10 , wherein the image duplicates are detected using a content-based image search. 
     
     
         17 . One or more computer storage media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method for enhancing search results, the method comprising:
 receiving a user search query;   identifying one or more images relevant to the search query, each image located on a web page;   for at least one identified image:
 detecting one or more duplicate images located on other web pages using a content-based image search; 
 extracting information from the image and duplicate images, the extracted information including one or more of: an image format, an image size, an image quality, an indication the image has been edited, the web page or domain on which the image is located, and one or more keywords associated with the web page or domain on which the image is located; 
 aggregating at least some of the extracted information, the aggregated information including the number of duplicate images detected; and 
 storing the extracted information and the aggregated information in a web index, 
 wherein duplicates of an image include both copies of the image and near duplicates of the image, near duplicates being substantially similar to the image but altered in some way; 
   ranking the identified images in order of relevance to the received user search query based at least in part on the aggregated information stored in the web index, wherein having a large number of duplicates weighs in favor of a high relevance ranking for a given image; and   providing a search result incorporating the ranked images.   
     
     
         18 . The media of  claim 17 , wherein the aggregated information also includes one or more of: the number of duplicate images in a particular format, size, or quality; the number of duplicate images that have been edited; and common keywords associated with the web pages on which the image or duplicate images are located. 
     
     
         19 . The media of  claim 17 , wherein the aggregated information includes common keywords associated with the web pages on which the image or duplicate images are located, and wherein having associated keywords determined to be more relevant to the user search query weighs in favor of a high relevance ranking for a given image. 
     
     
         20 . The media of  claim 17 , wherein the aggregated information includes the number of duplicate images in a particular format, size, or quality, and wherein having a large number of duplicates of a high quality, large size, or desirable format weighs in favor of a high relevance ranking for a given image.